Fred Shade: Church - Sermons

SERMONS

CHRISTMAS DAY

While all things were in quiet silence,
and night was in the midst of her course,
Thine almighty Word, O Lord, came down
from thy royal throne: alleluia!
(Antiphon - Vespers)

And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host
praying God and saying:
'Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra, Pax,
hominibus bonae voluntatis'.
(Luke 2:13-14)

Our Church has as one of its objectives to present to the modern world the so-called "mystical" tradition of the Christian Faith and also the Ancient Wisdom which is the foundation of its Teaching, Doctrine and Experience. Part of this work involves the study of the Scripures and the Festivals we celebrate during the Church's year in the light of this inner experience. This deep understanding of scripture and of the mysteries of our faith have always been present in some form in Christian Faith and Doctrine. But it has come in and out of favour down the centuries. Today, it is largely ignored as the Christian Religion is becoming increasingly superficial in presentation. The sense of mystery, the sense of the sacred in word and action are often marginalised.

One of the most notable proponents of a deeper understanding of our faith was Origen (c185-254). He was one of the early Church Fathers, a great teacher, theologian and writer. He taught that our sacred writings are to be seen as having three layers of meaning - literal, moral and allegorical. These he described as representing the Body, the Soul and the Spirit of Scripture, and thus are reflective of the Trinity of God as well as the three-fold aspect of our own natures.

The first is the most basic level of understanding of the writings - accepting the stories literally, as events in history. The second layer concerns the lessons we can learn from scripture, i.e. the moral and ethical, which the stories and parables teach us. The third is called the spiritual level and can be found when we delve more deeply into the words, symbols and stories. Herein we discover the inner significance of these things, and the spirit within us recognises and responds to the spiritual truths they express. (You will recall the occasions when the disciples would say that 'their hearts burned with joy' when they were in the presence of our Lord, or when they gained an insight into some great teaching of their Master. This also happens to us when we recognise intuitively a particular truth expressed in these writings, or when someone expounds on them.)

I will mention just a couple of aspects of the Nativity Story to show what Origen means that our stories have different levels on which they can be understood. And you will notice from this explanation that the beauty of these stories, as in the stories of all great religions, is that they appeal to the young and old alike, although for different reasons, and that they have a timeless quality about them.

Let's take the first example from the Nativity Story. Joseph and Mary found that there was no room at the inn. They were obliged to stay for the night in a cattle-manger which, according to 'tradition', was in a cave close to the inn. Going to the deepest level of meaning, this incident is suggestive of the Lord of the world being born in a cave, symbolically in the depths of the earth (womb). Also, we notice that Jesus is said to have been born in the depths of the year - the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere (25th December). (The date of his nativity was set by the Church some centuries later and is not given in the gospel story.) Thus, born within Mother-Earth, our Lord rose therefrom, from the darkest day of the year, like the new-born Son (indeed, as the Son of the Sun, as one hymn puts it). This is poetic language in its highest form.

There are other symbols and images presented to us in this wonderful tableau. For example, we have the Shepherds, the humble folk of the area, who were present at this sacred moment in our history. Their very simplicity in lifestyle and faith have valuable lessons for us too, for their faith and open heart enabled them to become aware of the epiphany of God in their very midst. Also, we read of the Magi, the sages and priest-kings of the ancient world (translated as Astrologers in the NEB), who have come a long way to pay homage to the Master, the Prince of Peace. They knew of his imminent arrival on earth for they had seen and understood the cosmic signs. Their involvement in the story was not only to prove the accuracy of the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the coming of the Master of the World, but also to tell us that this "Good News" was to be given to all people, Jew and Gentile, black and white. The Magi also selected their gifts with care. Gold, is the appropriate tribute to a King, Incense is for the worship to God ('Thou shalt make an altar of incense"), and Myrrh is used for embalming the sacrificial victims, and for the dead. (So you see, the Magi could not only read the signs of His coming, but also knew of the Master's destiny, and acknowledged these stages in his journey on earth with these gifts.)

I think these examples are sufficient to support Origens's view that sacred scripture has several layers of meaning, layer upon layer and like an onion, we peel off one at a time and discover more extraordinary things. This is so in all great religions, and the beauty of this system is that we can appreciate our sacred writings at whatever level we feel comfortable. It is for this reason that they continue to amaze us with new insights because, as we grow, we discover new things which they can teach us. The Christmas Story captures the imagination of young and old alike.

One of the traditions of the ancient Church is to celebrate Christmas with three Eucharists (Masses) at different times of the day. The first is the Midnight Mass (which we celebrated last night), and is centred on the appearance of the light in the depths of darkness: "who has made the most sacred night shine forth with the brilliance of the true light". The second is at dawn, on Christmas Day (this morning's service), called the Aurora Mass which, with the rising Sun, celebrates the illumination and transfiguration of the world, "a light shall shine upon this day, for our Lord is born to us". And the third, celebrated later in the day (we can think of next Sunday's eucharist as representing this one), reminds us of the eternal generation of the Divine Word from the Father, since "the Child born this day is he who in the beginning created all worlds". And so each of these three services is unique (as indeed each celebration of the eucharist is unique), for these three celebrations on Christmas Day in particular give focus to different aspects of the Mystery of the Word made flesh, of the entry of the divine in human form - of the birth of Jesus, the beginning of a new era, of the new dispensation and divine blessing.

The birth of Jesus occurred nearly 2,000 years ago, in a very small town in an insignificant country. But it is also a story which transcends these human and historical limitations. It has a lot to teach us today, not only about history and ancient peoples, and the development of their faith in God. It has much to teach us about God, about ourselves as children of God, about the world in which we live.

The history of the world was changed irrevocably by this event in Bethlehem and the subsequent events in Jerusalem. The sacred story outlined in the Gospels portrays the intimate relationship between Man's physical and spiritual natures and also about the abiding presence of God in the world. It tells us that it is not correct to think only of a God 'out there', although this is often the way the ancient people of the Bible talked about God. Rather, the writings of the New Testament, especially St.John and St.Paul, explain that God is Spirit, and that the significance of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, is in the word "Immanuel" - God with us, for our Creator is in the very midst of us and has always been so, even though we have failed to recognise His presence.

As I have said, the story of the birth of Jesus is teaching us many things, especially in regard to our own nature and purpose on this planet. It points to realities which are not so easily understood, also some hard lessons about life and living. It has much to tell us about the love of God. As the mystics of the ages have said, we should also see this story as pointing to the need for the birth of the Christ-spirit within the cave of the human heart. This we must do if we are to fulfil our destiny of coming to "the fullness and stature of Christ". (Eph. 4:13) It is, therefore, pointing to a spiritual birth within ourselves, the time when we take that conscious step to awaken within ourselves that spark of the divine, which we call the Spirit of God, and nurture that newly-awakened faculty within us. It is that time when we recognise that our Lord is present with us, among us, and in us. Then, our spiritual journey really begins and we start to become more Christ-like, as did our Lord's apostles.

St.Paul says with great enthusiasm, "Christ in you, the hope of glory". (Col.1:27) And so the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is a sign to us today, a sign of the hope of bringing to birth the spiritual dimension of our own being, that part of us which is beyond the superficialities of the mind, emotions, and personality. And so, each Christmas is a challenge to us. It is a challenge for us to recognise that there is much more to our own nature than the atoms and molecules (which are replaced every few years anyway!), much more to the purpose of our personal existence than working to live. Yes, we are linked in a very special way with that which is the Father of All, and Jesus of Nazareth was pointing to this special relationship we have with God the Father.

Our endeavours to identify with the Risen Christ in this way must surely enable us to forge a stronger link with our Lord at his birth in Bethlehem, for that event now becomes for us a symbol of our spiritual birth, of our own reawakening. If we make this personal connection, then the events of 1A.D. (or 4B.C., whichever you prefer) are no longer remote and quaint, but become for us immediate, powerful, and personally transforming. (It is worth mentioning here that the Liberal Catholic Eucharist is different to the old liturgies of the Christian church in that it emphasises the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, alongside the great sacrifice of Love on the Cross.) And so you can see from this very brief description and analysis that this wonderful festival of Christmas can mean different things to different people - joy, peace, blessing, nativity scenes, carols and angels - each expressing in its own way the wonder and mystery of Christmas.

The Birth of our Lord at Bethlehem can thus be seen as the first chapter in our own spiritual journey. With this first step, we begin to be aware of, for the first time perhaps, the spiritual nature of our own being. His name is "Immanuel" - God with us, and we are taught that, whenever two or more are gathered in His Name, there he will be in the midst of us. His title is the "Prince of Peace". This too we wish to understand more fully, and to be centred in Him and to give His peace to all. And as I have suggested, within this celebration of Joy, Peace and Love, our participation over the years in the holy eucharist can be seen as taking important steps in our life's journey as children of God.

The great mystic Angelus Silesius wrote some very beautiful and mystical poems, and we have at least one of them in our own Hymnal. In that hymn we read the following words:

"Tho' Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born,
But not within thyself,
Thy soul shall be forlorn."

He also writes that what God is we must be too;

"Should I my final goal and primal source discover,
I must myself in God and God in me recover
Becoming what He is: a shine within His shine,
A word within His Word, by God be made divine."

A Merry Christmas to you all, and may the New Year be another exciting chapter in your journey through life.